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Not Your Usual Founding Father: Selected Readings from Benjamin Franklin

benjamin franklin edmund s. morgan

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This engaging book reveals Benjamin Franklin’s human side—his tastes and habits, his enthusiasms, and his devotion to democracy and the people of the United States. Three hundred years after his birth, we may remember Franklin’s famous Autobiography , or his status as framer of the Declaration of Independence and the peace with Great Britain, or his experiments in electricity, or perhaps his sage advice on diligence and thrift. But historian Edmund S. Morgan invites us to meet the man himself, a sociable, good-natured, and extraordinary  human being with boundless curiosity about the natural world and a vision of what America could be.

Drawing on lifelong research in the vast Franklin archives, Morgan assembles both famous and lesser-known writings that offer insights into this founding father’s thinking. The book is organized around four major themes, each with an introduction. The first section includes journal excerpts and letters revealing Franklin’s personal tastes and habits. The second is devoted to Franklin’s inexhaustible intellectual energy and his scientific discoveries. The third and fourth chronicle his devotion to serving the people who became the United States both before and after the Revolution and to advancing his democratic vision of their future. Franklin’s humanity and genius have never seemed more real than in the pages of this appealing anthology.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,2006

This edition

Format
320 pages, Hardcover
Published
November 15, 2006 by Yale University Press
ISBN
9780300113945
ASIN
0300113943
Language
English

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About the author

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benjamin franklin

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Benjamin Franklin was a writer, a philosopher, a scientist, a politician, a patriot, a Founding Father, an inventor, and publisher. He helped with the founding of the United States of America and changed the world with his discoveries about electricity. His writings such as Poor Richards' Almanac have provided wisdom for 17 years to the colonies.

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edorcean100
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April 17,2025
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This is an amazing book if you already have a solid understanding of Franklin's background. If not I would suggest reading a biography to better understand the readings. An extremely enjoyable read as many of the must read material from Franklin is organized in an orderly manner.
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